A Touch of Madness
by nightmareknight01
Summary: The day of the Amnesia... What happened to my memories...? What have I become?


A Touch of Madness

The day where my life began. How did it go again?

It was a bitter wintry evening, the sky a looming grey, shadowing the town in uncertainty and illusion. In the uncomfortable tangle of thick hospital blankets, I thrashed violently, unaware where up or down was.

Just who was I… again?

A howl penetrated the flickering beams of light dancing tauntingly upon my bloodshot vision. I grew tense, snapping my neck with each and every movement. I had no grasp over friend or enemy as blurred figures stood by, surrounding my unstable condition. Foreign whispers called to me, reaching out to strangle me, to squeeze the little remaining air tight in my lungs. It was _him_. He had come at last, to rid of me forever.

I sobbed without dignity, pleading for the beasts to leave me in peace.

"Fascinating…"

"Someone come take a blood sample…!"

"What in God's name _are_ you?"

The noise continued to grow louder, booming in my eardrums, shaking my very soul. I clasped my hands to cover away the waves of horrible squabbling and inhuman comments, shutting my eyes willing for silence. Wet lines trailed along my wrists, a faint throbbing pain sizzling at my shoulder and the insides of my body. 'S-Stop' I demanded to myself as I hardly held the strength to speak. 'Leave me alone!'

Contact brushed against my slick back, stroking it tenderly. Revolted by the icy tips of this stranger touching me, I shrank away, squeezing feeling out of the numbing sides of my tear decorated face. "N-No!" I could finally choke in a broken cry, biting back on my bottom lip, tasting the saltiness of my own blood. The intruder remained unrelenting to give in to my commands.

"What a lovely specimen… Nurse," he grasped the tips of my broken flesh with a hardened purpose, a hidden intent. "Bring me a gurney, we'll have this girl moved to the lab."

_Lab_? I shivered at the destination these people had in mind for me. The word sounded oddly familiar yet I couldn't bring myself to further ponder why that was. I still remained lost in my surroundings. Where was I? Who was I? Who were they? Sniffling, I clenched the bed sheets, focusing at a nearby window. How much force was needed to break through and guarantee my escape?

"Help me lift her," another voice spoke. My concentration on the gloomy scenery outside was broken away as two pairs of freezing hands found their way onto my arms and legs, latching on like leeches. Yelping, I thrashed once more, landing a jab with my elbow in someone's face. Just how many were in here?

"Oof!" someone gasped as I went on to fight my way through. "Stop her!" the man screamed, wiping away a speck of blood trickling down his nose. As a hoard of hands shot towards me I bared my fangs, hissing angrily, swiping a free set of claws.

Who was I?... _What_ was I?

A woman was knocked down as one of my nails hit her spot on under her widened gaze. Blood spilled out, staining the white tiled floor. As I slowly processed I was the one who had done that, an arm looped snugly around my throat, containing me. Startled, I froze momentarily, gathering my thoughts before clomping down hard into his flesh.

_An explosion of flavor erupted into my taste buds, drowning them in delicious categories of a woman named Arisa, a pair of beautiful children who refused to take their daily bath, running about screaming at me, demanding for their mother to save them, giggling. I swallowed a wave of remorse as Arisa was found at the bottom of the stairs, a broken figure, staring off at a blade lodged deeply in the wall beside me. She was in my arms as well as two gleaming eyes in the hallway, the girls, smiling cruelly, swaying to an unheard waltz of the dead. A spasm flickered through my body as I watched the girls stretch into an evil smirk, stretching wider and wider until their faces had taken too much beating and fell messily upon the floor. Torn apart. I cackled madly clawing at my own face. I licked away a feeling of kindness and warmth, but also a throbbing ache for a winged creature, snarling, baring hideous fangs and tossing about my lab companions in an attempt to flee. _

Then I was pulled away, blinking astonishingly at those same beings, still desperate to run their tests and poisons through my bloodstream. However, it was in _my_ eyes this time that I saw them. I was now that same demonic creature the man was trying to contain. My perspective grew eerily disturbed from what I had witnessed in that man's visions. Those gruesome sights. The children…and the Mother…

I erupted into endless tears, burying myself into my trembling hands.

Memories. I drank every single one of the man's memories. And now he was dead.

My mouth twitched on its own accord. I became terrified as I suddenly realized that I didn't really feel any remorse or fear at what I had just done.

Hands grabbed at my wrist, tugging at me, pulling, hitting. I refused to move, but rather gazed intently at my palms, sneaking glances through openings at the feet of my attackers. Yes. They were all enemies. My head rose up slowly, my skin tickling the red splotches on my changing face. _More_…

A large smile chewed its way along my face as my shoulders began shaking with chaotic laughter.

"That…" I breathed, bringing up my talons to my pulsating teeth, I began to bite down in a fit of tremors. "That was…"

The atmosphere shifted as my pursuers began to back away, watching me with a storm of fear. _My prey_.

"That was rather… delicious!" I screamed, smiling crookedly, rising to an owl like position, and observing the lab freaks with a sharpened intent.

They all looked stunned, rooted to their spots by their true, cowardly selves. And _oh_ how I _loved_ it.

A nurse screamed and I took this as a gunshot to begin my next feasting. I leapt into the air, feathers ruffled, and tails cutting into equipment lodged under my bubbling flesh. A monitor beeped. My stomach growled at the excitement of being fed more of that delicious remedy, restless at the sight of the girl still screaming.

But instead of having my teeth sink into her pale, pale skin, they sank deeply through the sleeves and into the softness of a man. Stitches covered his attire from the waist up, and immediately, I could feel the stitches decorating him underneath his clothing.

_Colors slashed the ceiling as swirls spun furiously upon the snow covered floors of the academy a few months ago. I was staring at a girl, wrapped tightly in coats, shivering, gingerly tugging at my gloved hands._

_ "C-C-Come o-o-o-o-on St-Stein…" she chattered, jumping up and down to contain some sort of warmth. "You-You know h-how much I ha-hate the c-c-cold…"_

_ I laughed amusingly, patting her head, wrapping my fingers around her exposed hands. Without giving it much thought, I began to exhale a warm puff of air, eyeing her reaction curiously. She blushed a deep shade of pink, averting her gaze._

_ "Alright," I finally complied, taking her hand in mind. "Next time, you should probably dress a bit more warmly then." She answered with a hasty sigh, rolling her eyes and trying humorously to contain that bright shade licking at her face. I chuckled. 'At least that ought to keep her somewhat warm'._

_ I swallowed another wave of warm liquid, growing wary of who this man was._

_I was now at my computer, trying without much success, to concentrate on my latest project. 'Damn, this is getting ridiculous', I snarled in my mind, kicking away from the screen to rest back on my chair, stretching. 'Calm down, Stein. You aren't going to get anything done at this rate. Deep breaths.'_

_ I inhaled shakily, then exhaled. A whimper sounded from her bedroom._

_ "Hmm?" I craned back to view her barely open door. She had turned in for the night feeling a bit ill. Perhaps she was having a nightmare._

_ I smiled to myself, knowing full well I'd have to check on her or I'd go mad. With a squeak from my chair, I stood, hands in pockets, trekking to the darkened room. As I rested my hand on the edge, another whimper rang out verifying my suspicions. The door swung open without a sound, faint light tracing her trembling body. She was bundled in her comforter, one arm dangling sloppily over the edge of the mattress. From here, I could see her teeth chattering, her fingers clenching and unclenching into fists. The poor thing was freezing. _

_ Walking over, I thought briefly before placing a warm hand upon her forehead. I pulled back mulling over the intense temperature eating away at her. She winced once as I watched her, one eye opening to comprehend just who I was and what I was doing. A moment of clarity hit her; hard._

_ She jerked up, a bit too suddenly, demanding what I was doing in her room. Then she grew dizzy and collapsed into my already open arms. _

_ "Tch," I noted, straightening her back onto the bed. 'Perhaps it wasn't just simply blushing. She really has a fever'. I had already placed her in a proper position, surely comfortable, making my way to the lab to grab some medicine when a hand pulled ever so weakly at my coat. Surprised, I glanced back to see her in such a fragile state, tugging me back in her direction._

_ "P-Please, d-don't leave me," she whispered so innocently, I couldn't bear leaving her. Whether she was really speaking to me or some unseen presence, I hadn't the faintest clue, but I obeyed without question, walking back to slide beside her, watching her gradually fall into a lullaby sort of rhythm of breathing. I took off my lab coat, thinking it to be the only thing close by with a bit of weight to it, and gently placed it over her body._

_ "Hmmph" I said to myself, leaning back to stare up at the black ceiling. I knew she'd fallen asleep, yet I couldn't bring myself to leave her side. So with nothing better to do, I closed my eyes, falling into my own personal slumber myself. The first dreamless one in years._

I pushed myself away from Stein, bewildered. His memories weren't simply _his_ memories alone. My hand clasped over my mouth as I broke down once again, falling to my knees.

Stein stumbled back, tumbling hard against the wall, breathing heavily. His arm was squirting little spasms of precious blood. His beautiful, beautiful blood. That I had caused to spill.

At my undefended state, the remaining scientists or doctors or whoever they were came charging at me, needles drawn, serums readied for insertion.

They too, tumbled backwards, away from where I stood trying to get a hold of my own memories. Stein loomed protectively in front of me, huffing, thrusting one of my blades they confiscated in their direction.

"Touch her and you die," he simply stated, standing his ground.

"S-Stein," I called his name, remember the taste of it, falling from my stained mouth. My head drooped forward as I shook away droplets of tears. "Oh Stein," I sobbed, grabbing strands of my hair, tugging, "I'm so... I'm so sorry, I don't know what…"

He straightened himself, watching the employees take off down the hospital hallway. When all was settled down, he faced me and smiled. His fingers brushed strands of my loose bangs away from my face.

"Let's go home."

He started walking as I knew I was meant to follow. As I did so, I licked my lips to taste the last of his memories, lingering. I stopped for a moment, crossing my arms, frightened at the meaning of this last peek into Stein's mind.

"Kaze…?"

Yes, Kaze… The name he called me, 'wind'. Known for my speed and agility. But… When Stein woke up that night…

_"Kaze?!" he had screamed, tearing down the house, running through town, searching blindly for my whereabouts. "Kaze!"_

Current Stein held my shoulders, shaking me worriedly. "Hey."

The echoing of my name never stopped. I glanced back at him, recollecting myself, nodding nervously. "Coming."

A few days had passed since that wintry day. A few nights of agonizing hell for Stein. When he finally found me, it was too late.

I could never get out the horrible, demonic cries of my friend when he found what was left of me.


End file.
